Family members of the fallen, though, are expected to be 2 miles to the north, at a separate, private ceremony.

Relatives of the firefighters will be at the Arizona ­Pioneer Home Cemetery on June 30. That ceremony will be closed to the public, unlike the one in Courthouse Square, which will be open to both the public and the media.

Privacy is the chief reason most family members will be at the firefighter-union sponsored event, rather than the downtown Prescott ceremony, said J.P. Vicente, a Prescott fire captain helping organize the event for the 100 Club, a Phoenix-based charity that aids families of fallen officers and firefighters.

He expects relatives from 12 to 15 families to attend the June 30 ceremony. None have indicated they will be at the city's ceremony.

Juliann Ashcraft, whose husband, Robert, was among the 19 killed, said she preferred being with the firefighters' families rather than among the expected crowd downtown.

"It's just separate to keep the chaos down a little bit," Ashcraft said Saturday while at the Hall of Flame museum in Phoenix for a ceremony honoring the Granite Mountain crew.

Ashcraft battled the city of Prescott over benefits for her husband, who, like all the hotshot crew, was a city employee, though he often worked out of the area.

Prescott denied full benefits to Ashcraft because her husband was a seasonal employee. A review board awarded the benefits to Ashcraft in May. Ashcraft is among the families who have filed wrongful death claims against the city.

But, she said, those legal battles weren't why she was avoiding the city's commemoration.

The city's firefighters have had longstanding beefs with city leaders, said Ray Maione, an official with United Phoenix Firefighters Local 493.

Maione said he expects the only firefighters at the city ceremony will be those assigned to it as part of their official duties.

The union started planning its ceremony in January, Maione said.

Prescott events manager Becky Karcie said the city started planning this event in March, though not as a reaction to the union event at the cemetery.

Karcie said the families of the 19 have been invited to the city ceremony. "The city is doing this to bring everybody and anybody together," she said. If the families of the firefighters don't come, "that would be their choice," she said. "We welcome all."

Karcie said the names of the 19 firefighters will be read by Patrick McCarty, a Granite Mountain Hotshot who left the unit before the summer of 2013. There will be a moment of silence, followed by some words by newly appointed Prescott Fire Chief Dennis Light.

Former Prescott Fire Chief Dan Fraijo, who led the department at the time of the June 30 deaths, will speak to families at the cemetery.

The union is also hosting a downtown Prescott fundraiser the day before the anniversary. Vicente said he expects relatives of the fallen firefighters to serve food, as a way to thank Prescott.